The Seven-Year Itch: Skyrim
- MC Wright
- Feb 15, 2019
- 3 min read
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Just kidding.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a game that I have started, left, and come back to at least 6 times over the years. Not because it's a bad game, but because up until Red Dead Redemption 2 (yes I know, Witcher 3,The), Skyrim has always felt like the most daunting video game ever made in terms of scale. What you're allowed to do, and mess around with in the game is insane.
For instance, the first time I played Skyrim I role-played as a Hunter of wild animals, complete with narration (to myself, in an Australian accent). I played around like that for at least a week, and then moved on to another game. It always just felt more like work to play a game of that size and to see it to completion, or something resembling it. I know that seems silly considering if you just stick to the path for the main quest, you can beat it in a reasonable amount of time.
but where's the fun in that?
Every time I've restarted, save for one I believe, I have created the same character: The Nord, Ron Perlman. It just seemed funny to me the story of our Mr. Perlman is actually a centuries old, realm hopping nord-man-dude. and he kicked some ass, let me tell you. I rolled with a One-Handed weapon/shield setup with constant bow use as well. Magic was my least used aspect of Mr. Perlman.
What I had heard all those years ago, while I was playing the game, rang true. That the main quest in the game is actually the worst part. So much of my time spent in Skyrim was doing many of the fantastic side-quests. You learn so much about the world of Skyrim (Tamriel) from these "side"-quests. You meet hilarious characters you love, and bastards you love to hate.
The Main Quest in the game I feel actually does a disservice to what's available in the game. You're offered a very generic High-Fantasy story of the "chosen one" variety.
Find out who you are, surprise, you're the chosen one, Dragonborn.
Seek out the Greybeards, the profits, they tell you you're gonna be the one to save the day.
Run around the world on loosely connected quests all pointing you to fight dragons.
Run into the big bad, it's a super evil dragon.
Kill the Dragon and save the day.
It ain't great.
But the multitude of the game's Side-Quests, and the majority of my time spent, was fantastic. I joined the Dark Brotherhood, I joined the Thieve's Guild. I, actually didn't do any of the warring factions side-quests. The ones I did though were varying from alright, but always ever enriching the world with stories of the people who live in it, to simply a joy to experience. I only went ahead and finished the main quest now, because I was there and it was something else to do in a game with other things to do.
I don't want to come off as though I hated it, I enjoyed bits here and there, as one does. Generic fantasy stories have there place, and I'm fine with it being a part of that world. But my main problem with it was the main story stuff felt so disconnected with the rest of it. There were so many interesting murders, mysteries and battles strewn throughout the game, some of them were from the main quest, but most of them were when you are all out on your own discovering things for yourself.
It took me just over seven years to finish the main quest of Skyrim. I enjoyed nearly all of my time with it, from everything the world had to offer, still has to offer, and some of the hilarious bugs not intended. I'm glad the game is structured the way it is though, since I can keep playing past the main quest, and continue running around Skyrim and getting to know it's people.
...save for some of those broken questlines....Eltrys..
-MC Wright
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